Here's the first chapter of "The Baltimore Butcher." I hope you like it!

Chapter
1

My name is Scarlette Gunn and I’m a
homicide detective with the Baltimore PD.I don’t have any friends; the closest I have is my partner, Joey
Michaels.My father, William Gunn, was
my best friend until he was killed five years ago.I followed in his footsteps when I became a
homicide detective.He was working on a
case and was shot.He got the bastard
before he died.My dad, fighting to his
last breath to protect people.He was
the good guy, the hero.My hero.No one really knows what happened that
night.It became a cold case after a
yearlong investigation.Why?Someone was that guy’s boss.My father was getting close to something, but
no one knows what that was.I got my
hands on a copy of the case file.When I
have free time I go over it.There is
something that I’m missing, or there’s information out there that wasn’t
included.Either way, I will find out
who was responsible for this.

Then there's my mom.We
talk once a week, nothing more.I don’t
tell her much about my life since it usually turns into her nagging me about
working too much and having no friends.Then she throws in complaints about me needing to find a husband.She keeps trying to fix me up with her
“ideal” man.The last one was an
insurance salesman.I think he spent
most of the night trying to sell me car insurance.Why the hell do I let her set me up?Oh, that’s right; she won’t shut up if I
don’t agree.She’s always been like
this, but it’s gotten worse since dad died.I don’t know if he was a buffer or if she doesn’t like seeing me alone,
but I wish she would stop.I visit her
during the holidays and when I feel like punishing myself.You would think I hate my mom, but I do love
her.She’s just overprotective and well,
I guess you can’t blame her.

She got stuck with me and my brother
Jack.He’s the lucky one.She leaves him alone.She lets him call her instead of leaving the
fifty messages she leaves me and he isn’t forced into meals with her.He is a fucking spoiled mama’s boy.He and I are enemies, mortal enemies who love
each other.Really, it isn’t that bad,
but we do fight a lot.I guess it fits
in with him being a lawyer.He, of
course, had to pick criminal law.I put
them in jail and he gets them out.I
think he did it because Dad and I had a special bond and he wanted to get back
at us.Rooting for the other team is
something that would piss us off.I’ve
put a lot of thought into this, in case you couldn’t tell.I just can’t imagine someone wanting to set
free the criminals we put behind bars.

Mom still thinks we’ll grow out of
it, but I’m almost thirty and he’s a few years older, so I don’t see that
happening anytime soon.He was born to
argue and I just have permanent PMS.I
think he resents the time Dad spent with me.He wanted that and I took it away.I was Daddy’s little girl and I wanted to be just like him when I grew
up.Dad tried.He took Jack to the shooting range, he took
him camping, but they were too different.Jack was more like Mom.He’s
emotional.He has his beliefs and he’ll
fight for them.Mom believes I need
someone in my life and she’s going to be fighting for that until I give in or
she dies.Jack also cries when he gets
upset.Mom has always done that.He also cries at sad movies.You will never catch me doing that.I was like dad, I love shooting, and the
ride-a-longs were a blast.I became a
cop after all.I also have the right and
wrong mentality.There is no in
between.There is only black and white,
right and wrong.Dad was the one who
taught me that and I’ve lived it ever since.

Me well, excluding my work, I’m
boring.I read mystery books, but I can
always figure out who the bad guy is about halfway through it.Ruins the mystery, don’t you think?I know, I’m good, really, really, good.I also play some Sudoku and watch old
movies.The only movie I have in color
is Gone with the Wind.See,
boring.I’ll tell you a secret though, I
love to cook and I rock.Like five star
chef rock.One more thing about me, I’m
a basketball freak.I know, a lot of
people are into the whole football thing, but the games are long and it’s stop,
start, stop, start.Basketball is fast
paced and it keeps you on your toes.

Joey, he’s my basketball buddy, and
my partner.Police partner, not the new
way of saying fuck buddy or something.Joey and I actually use to date when we were in college.Everything was going well until we decided to
move in together.I was fine living with
him, but he didn’t want to move further from campus and I didn’t want to move
my things.I liked my stuff where it
was.It took me a long time to find the
perfect place for them.I didn’t want to
go through that again.That’s why I
still have the same apartment.

Joey became my partner when everyone
else refused to work with me.He wanted
a promotion and I needed a partner.What
happened to my other partners?Well, my
first partner talked too much.I told
her to shut the fuck up and she requested a transfer.My second was always hungry and wanted to eat
in my car.I told her no, then she got
mustard on my seat and she was done with.She had to get the most disgusting condiment in my car that also
happened to be bright yellow.I screamed
and she cried.One of the most interesting
was the one who smoked in my car.I
asked him not to and he continued to do it, so I pushed him out.I wasn’t going that fast, only about twenty
and he only got a few scratches.It
served him right for smoking in my car and not wearing a seatbelt.I got a nice two week suspension and he got a
new partner.Joey and I have been
partners for about a year and we haven’t had any problems.Probably because he drives, it’s safer that
way.I can’t push the driver out.

I also can’t risk making Joey mad
because he knows how to get back at me.Sarah, his daughter, she’s an angel.I wouldn’t be surprised if she sprouted wings.I don’t know how she does it, but there is no
way for someone to not like her.Trust
me, I tried.I don’t like kids, but she
pushes hard with her cuteness.She can
make you smile by saying something about how it was day, then it was night
because a storm came, then it was day again.How could someone not think that was cute?

I don’t know how she’s survived with
her mother, but she’s, well, an angel.No other words describe her.Her
mother, Amy, and Joey are in the middle of a divorce.Joey walked in on Amy while she was in bed
with another woman.She tried to get him
to join in, but he declined.I don’t
blame him.I think she was trying to
make it as if she was fulfilling some fantasy.Joey isn’t into that and neither am I.The stupid bitch.Cheating is
cheating, even if it’s with the same sex.Some men would think it’s a great thing to see, but Joey’s different. He’s always been respectful and devoted to
whomever he’s been with.And I can tell
you from experience, he’s not lacking in any way when it comes to the bedroom,
if anyone was interested.

Amy doesn’t like me.She hates that I spend time with Sarah.She thinks I’m a bad influence.Joey thinks it has something to do with me
calling her a bitch, but if the shoe fits, then shove it up your ass.When Joey was still with Amy I played
nice.I wouldn’t talk to her, that’s the
best I could do.There’s no reason to
hide what I feel, but I didn’t need to be a bitch.Okay, I am one, but she is Sarah’s
mother.I didn’t need to make things
worse for her or Joey.

“This better be good,” I said into
the phone.I might be a cop and I might
be the best, but you don’t bother me when I’m sleeping unless it’s
important.I like my sleep.

“It’s bad.I’ll be
there in ten with coffee,” Joey said.

I grunted into the phone and closed
it.I lay back in bed for a minute and
closed my eyes.I was having a really
good dream.I was little and my dad had
taken me to the shooting range.I was so
excited.It was my first time
going.I had never even held a gun
before.I was ten.He told me I wasn’t allowed to touch a gun
until then.My tenth birthday was the
day before.

We put on our hearing protection and
goggles.I stood in front of the target,
the bust of a man.He spent a few
minutes going over how to use a gun again.“Letty, make sure you hold the gun with two hands and interlock your
fingers to make sure you have a good grip.When you hold it also make sure your finger is on the outside of the
trigger guard until you’re ready to fire,” he said as he showed me how to do it
for what felt like the hundredth time.I
think I’d heard it so many times I could repeat it back to him word for word.

He handed me the heavy gun.It was beautiful.The rubber grip felt like heaven.My hands were a little too small for it, but
it felt right to hold.It felt like it
was built for my hands.It had to be Dad’s
38 Special.His standard issue 357
Magnum was too big for me at that age.

I just held the gun for a minute, relishing
the feel of it.I had been dreaming of
firing a gun for so long.I wanted to
make the moment last.I closed my eyes
when I knew Dad wasn’t looking so I could feel the gun in my hands.The weight of it and how good it felt in my
hands, how it seemed to be molded just for me.

I held the gun up and lined the
crosshair with the rear sight.My feet
were spread shoulder width and my arms straight out.I was ready to fire.I saw Dad nod his head out of the corner of
my eye.I remember him saying never look
away from your target so I wanted to make sure he knew that I remembered
that.My finger was squeezing the
trigger, then the phone rang and woke me up.

I opened my eyes and looked at the
clock.4:42.It’s too fucking early.Don’t murderers ever sleep in?I guess I should get up.I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the door
to unlock it.Well, at least I don’t
have to wait for the coffee pot.I can’t
function without my coffee.

I went back into my room and straight
for the closet.I refuse to wear the
standard police dress code of dress clothes.What time is it now?4:44.I pull out a nice looking pair of jeans and a
button down shirt.Hey, they’re lucky to
get that much out of me.I did learn,
however, to not wear white shirts.Last
time I wore one I got whistled at, he got knocked-out, and I got
written-up.So, no more white
shirts.Today I’m going for crimson, my
favorite color.No, it’s not because
it’s the same color as blood.I just
think it’s a pretty color.

Now, time to make myself look
pretty.It isn’t a hard task, but I did
need some makeup.I added a little black
eye liner to bring out the emerald in my eyes and mascara to bring out my long
lashes.Some bronze lip gloss finished
off the look.Since there was no time
for a shower, my black hair went into a pony tail.

I looked under my bed and pulled out
my brown boots.I'm not a shoe fanatic
or anything, but I love my boots.I have
two pairs of dress shoes for the rare times I wear skirts or dresses, a pair of
sneakers, and five pairs of boots.None
have the really high heels.I’m tall so
I don’t need the height, but have you ever tried running in heals?I can’t do it.I'll be on my ass before I get very far.Boots are wonderful things.They support your ankles and are easy to run
in.The heel can also be a good
weapon.It adds just a little more of a
punch than flats.

I shrug into my holster and check my
gun.It’s a Glock 17C.I love this gun.Not only is it beautiful, but mine has night
sight on it, it has finger grips so it feels like it was molded to my hand, and
Dad gave it to me when I graduated from the academy.I slipped my extra clip into my holster and
clipped my badge onto my belt.Contrary
to popular belief, we don’t use our guns that much, but you never know when
you’ll need one so it’s always a good thing to be prepared, Murphy’s Law and
everything.

I looked at my watch, 4:50.Ready to go and two minutes to spare.That’s really good for me.I’m never on time.I run on Scarlette time, or that’s what Joey
says.I don’t care who’s waiting for me
or how long something takes if I want something done, it’s getting done.I can have a meeting with the president, but
if I’m in the middle of cooking something, then the president can wait for me.Not that the Secret Service would ever let me
close to the president.I might offend
him with my winning personality.

I heard two quick knocks before my
door opened.I don’t even know why he
bothers knocking.Who the fuck else
would be here before five in the morning?I took one look at him and said, “So how’s Jack?”Judging by what he’s wearing he was out with
my brother.With the dress shoes,
clubbing shirt, and spiked hair, they were definitely out on the town.

“Do you really want to know?”Joey knows me so well.Why would I really want to know about my
brother?Oh, right, I like to hear how
much of an idiot he is.

“Okay, how was the club?”Jack doesn’t have the best of luck with
women, but Joey is determined to get him laid.I think he’s going to fail, but if he wants to help, who am I to stop
him.Plus I get to hear the stories of
his failure.

I took the coffee he hands me and he
says, “He’s getting better.He got a
dance in before she slapped him.”

“And how did he get slapped?”I asked after taking a sip of coffee.Yum.Nothing better than coffee and hearing about your brother’s humiliation.

“I think he was trying to give her a compliment.From what it sounded like to me he kind of
called her a trashy whore,” he said trying to suppress a laugh.

There were no words.

“He was telling her she had a great
figure and huge boobs and barely there skirt.She didn’t like it and got him really good.I think he still has a red mark on his face
in the shape of her hand.I have to say though;
she did look like a trashy whore.”

“Wow,” was all I could say to that.My brother, the ladies man.

“Come on, we better go before we miss
the body.”He was being a gentleman
opening the door for me.That isn’t like
him.He was trying to butter me up for
something.“You should call him.He actually just won a big case.”

And there it is.“Tell him congrats for me,” I said as I walked down the hall to the
elevator.

“I think you should tell him yourself.”

“I don’t.Now tell me about the body.”I hate talking about my brother.I know, contradiction, I did ask, but I just
like hearing the humiliating things.I
don’t want to know that he just got a criminal off.That’s just a slap in the face to the police
who worked their butts off on that case.

Jack and Joey are friends.They met while Joey and I were dating.They just hit it off and are still
friends.I’m glad Jack has a friend;
just don’t tell anyone I said that.

“You two are going to have to start
getting along sometime.I have a feeling
it might be your mom’s dying wish.I
know it’s mine.”

Seriously?How stupid is it that?His dying wish?I understand Mom, but Joey?Maybe he’s tired of being caught in the
middle of it.Who knows what Jack has
said about me?So because of that I
glared at him.He knew that look.It was the “shut the fuck up or you’ll regret
it” look.

“Fine,” he said sternly.He took a deep breath.“All I know right now is that it’s in the
Sapphire Hotel’s parking garage.The
only witness is the one who found the body.”

“Okay,” I said stepping out of the
elevator.I looked out the window of the
lobby and saw black.I knew it was still
dark, but still, leaving for work when it’s still dark outside always makes
things worse.I was already in a bad
mood and now the sun isn’t even up yet.It always makes the crime scene worse than it really is because of all
the lights around it.It also means a
very long day.

***

We stepped out into the cool fall
night and walked to Joey’s Mustang GT.It’s fast.That’s one of the
reasons I let him drive.It’s great in a
chase, which we have yet to experience.It’s a 2009 five-speed 4.6 Liter.For those of you who don’t speak car that means it’s really fast.I don’t speak car, just so you know, but Joey
was so excited about it that he had to tell me about twenty times.

We were silent on the fifteen minute
ride to the hotel.Joey has learned not
to talk to me when I don’t want him to.Dating him has had its perks.I
didn’t have to train him.It was a
relief when they told me who my partner was.Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to not only
train someone how to do things your way, but also train them to not talk to me,
smoke in my car, or eat in my car?

I didn’t trust any of them enough to drive so that’s why we always
took my car.Joey has always been a good
driver.It took us a while before I
would ride in a car with him when we were dating, but eventually I gave in and
wasn’t tempted to take the wheel from him because he couldn’t drive in a
straight line or because he was drifting into another lane.

The only thing about Joey is that he
knew too much about me, like my brother.If he were to talk to me right now it would be about my brother and that
is one subject I never want to talk about.He thinks Jack and I should be close since we’re siblings.What’s the big deal if I don’t like him?I love my brother, but that doesn’t mean I
have to like him.I’m pretty sure he
feels the same about me.I also think if
anyone asked us, we would both deny it.I know I would.Deep down I’ve
admitted it to myself, that’s all that counts.

We pulled into the Sapphire Hotel and
saw a lot of police cars.There was a
cluster of uniforms outside.Normally if
that would happen they were all talking, but there was silence.Some were staring blankly ahead; others were
looking at the ground.One thing they
all had in common is that they looked like they were going to be sick.It must be really bad.

Living in Baltimore, homicide is something that happens a lot, but
a lot of people think it’s a bad city.What do you think would happen when you get that many people living in a
city?There a lot of people who live in
this city so there’s going to be more crime than a city with half the
people.There are some places that are
run down and ugly, but there are also beautiful places here, just like any
other city.

The ME was pulling his bag out of his truck as we walked to the
parking garage.“Have you seen it yet?”
Joey asked him.

“No, but word on the street is that it’s pretty gruesome.”He looked scared.It’s never a good sign when someone who looks
at dead bodies for a living was afraid to see one.

“That’s what I thought.It’s too quiet.I don’t know if
I’ve ever seen it like this before,” Joey said.

A uniform lifted the tape and Joey said thanks.He’s the polite one.I would have just kept walking.I guess it has something to do with him being
a nice person.I wouldn’t know what
that’s like.

As we walked through the parking garage we could see the red and
blue from the sirens cascaded across the walls.It felt like it was leading up to something.I’ve never had this feeling before and I’ve
been looking at dead bodies for a while.I even saw a few with my dad, don’t tell anyone.I wasn’t supposed to, but I snuck out of the
car.But something about this one was
different.I didn’t think it was the
standard murder.

The red and blue began fading into the white lights of the parking
garage the further into it we went.You
could feel the fear surrounding the scene.As Joey said, it’s quiet.Normally you hear people talking and joking.I know it sounds horrible to say people are joking
when someone has been murdered, but when you look at a few murder victim a
week, you get over that.For some it’s a
coping mechanism, for others, they just don’t care.

I unconsciously slowed down.There was something on the ground.It was a pile of some kind, but my brain couldn’t process what it
was.I saw that it was dark red, but
that’s all you could get until you got closer.There was the familiar sent of blood, defecation, and something
different, yet familiar, but out of place.Raw beef?

I looked at the ground and saw droplets of blood, like someone had
a bucket and something was stuck in it so they shook it out.I got a pair of gloves from Joey.I never carry them on me.Why should I when I have him?It was time to look at…whatever it is.Squatting down, I finally saw something that
resembled a human, a finger.As I looked
closer I saw a foot, then a hand with no fingers, then a torso, and finally a
face.I reached over and moved some of
the blood soaked hair.I think it was blond,
but it looked pink.

I leaned back when I saw the victim staring straight ahead.It looked like the eyes were boring into me,
pleading for help.Those eyes will haunt
me for the rest of my life.They were
and ice blue that was glazed over.You
could see the terror she experience, her eye brows drawn in fear.I couldn’t even imagine what she
experienced.There was something else
that was odd, the eyes were dilated, whether from fear or something else I didn’t
know.

I looked at the neck where it was removed from the body.The edges were jagged.It was like someone started to chop, but had
to keep hacking at it until it was severed.Fuck, this psycho wanted to make sure our victim was dead.

I looked at the piece next to the head, lying against the
hair.It was a finger.I picked it up to look at where it was
removed.It was a clean cut, like it had
been chopped off.

I had to get away.I’ve
never seen anything like this before.Nothing this…disgusting.If I
ever see anything like this again it’ll be too soon.The thing is that this wouldn’t be the
last.I knew it.Something in my gut told me there were going
to be more.I really hoped I was
wrong.The only problem is that I never
was.

I walked past Joey and leaned against a post.It was far enough away that I won’t be able
to make out what each piece was.I didn’t
want to look weak.I closed my eyes for a
minute just trying to get that image out of my head when I felt a hand on my
shoulder.

I didn’t like being touched, so when I looked up at the officer he
took his hand back quickly.I can do a
really good evil eye.“I’m sorry
Detective Gunn.The security guard who
found the,” he hesitated with a look of dread, “body, is in the office.I thought you might want to talk to her.”

“Thank you Lopez.”I stood
up, straightened my clothes and took a deep breath.“Where’s the security office?”

He pointed behind me, “It’s over there.”I looked behind me and saw the door that said
security.It figures it would pretty
much be in front of me.

I took another deep breath and walked toward it. Joey fell in beside me walking close but not
touching. I think it got to him
too. I reached up and patted his back,
trying to comfort him. He knew I
wouldn’t hug. I don’t touch people
easily.